Warren's pet strategy must go 'Beyond the Pond'

By: Daisy

Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for Senate in my home state of Massachusetts, has opened up a promising new front in her campaign against Republican incumbent Scott Brown. But it needs a little tweaking.
First, some background: On March 1, Brown scored kudos from one of my favorite organizations, the Humane Society, when it awarded him its Legislator of the Year for working on two bills: one protecting marine mammals in the Bay State (like the grey seals I've seen at Marconi Beach, Cape Cod) and the other prohibiting mistreatment of horses. Even though I'm a Progressive Pooch, my sense of fairness prompts me to commend Brown.
Well, one week later, Warren tweeted a photo of her Golden Retriever, Otis, at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, to show that she, too, cares about animals. (Thank you to the source who informed me about these developments!) As I mentioned, this is a promising first step ... but it needs some thought for future steps.
You see, yesterday I myself went to Fresh Pond with my human friend, Rich. It was a beautiful early-spring day and the pond looked like a perfect place for me to romp. The sight of a Golden Retriever (was it Otis?) playing on the grass led me to utter a plaintive "can-I-join-him" howl from the back seat of Rich's Corolla. When we disembarked, I was treated to the sight of three V-shaped squadrons of geese above us (yum!), and when I got onto the grass, two dogs rushed up to me for a sniff, one on each side. One was a German Shepherd at least twice my size!
Up to this point, all was OK. I was ready to give Professor Warren an A-plus for her choice of a dog walk. We dogs like visiting places of natural beauty -- not to mention areas where we can mingle with each other.
The trouble was, Fresh Pond is too much Cambridge ... at the expense of everywhere else. All around the two parking lots were signs reading: "RESERVED PARKING, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING, NO VISITOR PASSES! OR CAMBRIDGE WATER DEPT. PERMIT PARKING, VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO FINE/TOW." You might as well have put up a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign and a mean-looking Rottweiler to scare away the out-of-towners.
Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of Warren taking Otis out for some nature and socialization. Yet I feel she is sticking too much to familiar territory and not taking the extra steps that would increase her visibility. We all remember how that doomed the last Democratic Senate hopeful, Attorney General Martha Coakley, who sneered at Brown for doing voter outreach at Fenway Park.
To Warren, I would suggest that the next time Otis wants to go for a walk, take him somewhere different, where you can connect with voters outside Cambridge. If you like bodies of water, why not try Spy Pond in nearby Arlington ... the Mystic Lakes in Medford ... or Castle Island in South Boston? You might even venture to parts of the state that tend to get overshadowed by the east -- places like Central and Western Massachusetts. Surely the Worcester area must have some prime dog-walking areas ... and as for Western Mass., well, this is one of my favorite parts of the state, with my fond Westie Rescue memories out in Palmer before my move to Cambridge. I should also note that these regions actually have municipalities named "Warren" (Central Mass.) and "Otis" (Western Mass.). Check 'em out, Liz!
So, to recap: Professor Warren, you took a good first step with Otis in your neighborhood. Now it's time to take the next step by thinking outside the box ... or in this case, beyond the pond.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs regularly.